Homeschooling in Florida

            There are five ways to satisfy the State of Florida’s compulsory attendance laws:

• Public school
• Parochial, religious or denominational school
• Nontraditional private school
• Home-education program
• Private tutoring program

The two choices considered to be the legal methods for home-education by the state of Florida are by enrollment in a nontraditional private school or by entering the Home-Education Program. The attendance laws also state that a child age 6-16 must attend school regularly. This gives some flexibility for the parent beginning a home education program for a kindergartener.

 

Nontraditional private schools.

Enrollment in a private school will “umbrella” or cover a family’s homeschool. These schools were formerly called ‘600’ schools but are now called nontraditional private schools. The nontraditional private school is required to adhere to the laws that govern private schools. Thus reporting of enrollment lists and attendance records

etc, is required. Nontraditional private schools vary considerably in the level of accountability, curriculum, and testing requirements. Please note that if enrolled in a private school you are not required to notify the county.

 

Home Education Program

The Home Education Act (Florida statutes 1002.41) allows a parent to home educate their children. There are six home-schooling responsibilities outlined in the statute and are summarized in the next article.   

 

For choosing the best option for you, please review Starting Point An Introduction to Homeschooling in Florida.

For details of Florida's Home Education Program, review

                        Florida Statutes    Title XLVIII   -    Chapter 1002  -      Part IV